Thomas Kellers Caramel Popcorn Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 300°F.
• Spray large baking sheet with cooking spray. Cook caramels, butter and water in large saucepan on low heat until caramels are melted, stirring frequently.
• Combine popcorn and nuts in large bowl. Add caramel mixture; toss to coat. Spread onto prepared baking sheet.
• Bake 20 min., stirring after 10 min. Spoon onto sheet of waxed paper; cool completely. Break into clusters.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (95 degrees C). Place popcorn in a very large bowl.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.
• Place in two large shallow baking dishes and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 300 degrees, and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.
• In a large pot with a tight-fitting lid, heat oil and 3 popcorn kernels over medium-high with lid on top. When kernels pop, add remaining kernels to pot, lower heat to medium-low, and crack the lid open a sliver, facing away from you, to release steam. (Alternatively, you could cover the pot with a mesh deep-frying screen, or an upside-down colander or strainer.) Cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until the popping stops.
• Transfer popcorn to a heatproof bowl, discarding any unpopped kernels. Add nuts to bowl.
• In a medium pot, bring maple syrup, butter and brown sugar to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until butter and sugar have melted (the mixture should be foamy). Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 240 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from heat, and stir in salt, vanilla and baking soda. (Mixture may bubble up.)
• Immediately pour hot syrup over popcorn mixture, and use a spatula to mix it well. Scrape popcorn onto prepared baking sheet in one layer. Bake, rotating the pan after 15 minutes, for 25 to 35 minutes. You'll know it's done when you can remove a piece of the popcorn, and after letting it cool for about a minute, it's crisp when you bite into it. Taste and sprinkle lightly with more salt if you like. Let cool before serving.

Steps:

• Lightly coat two large, heatproof rubber spatulas and a large mixing bowl with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a large saucepan or pot with a lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the popcorn kernels, cover and keep the saucepan moving until all of the kernels have popped, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the prepared bowl, removing any unpopped kernels.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the baking soda and cayenne pepper.
• Have two large baking sheets ready. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, salt and 1/2 cup water. Cook over high heat, without stirring, until the mixture becomes a light golden caramel, 10 to 14 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the baking-soda mixture (the mixture will bubble up).
• Immediately pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn. Working quickly and carefully, use the prepared spatulas to toss the caramel and popcorn together, as if you were tossing a salad, until the popcorn is well coated.
• Spread the popcorn onto the baking sheets and quickly separate them into small pieces while still warm. Cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Once cool, store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Steps:

• Pop the popcorn.
• To make the caramel, place the sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water in a large saucepan (large enough to hold the popcorn) and cook until the caramel turns a light golden brown. Add baking soda and butter to the caramel. Then add the popcorn to the hot caramel and stir with a wooden spoon until the popcorn is evenly coated.
• Pour the caramelized popcorn onto a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and set aside to cool. Break up the popcorn with your hands. Serve in colored-cellophane bags.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Generously butter heavy large baking pan. Mix warm popcorn and peanuts in prepared pan. Place in oven while preparing syrup.
• Combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Attach clip-on candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat to high and boil without stirring until thermometer registers 255 degrees F, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract, salt and baking soda (mixture will bubble). Gradually pour syrup over popcorn and nuts completely.
• Bake until caramel feels dry, stirring frequently, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Using metal spatula, scrape mixture from bottom of pan to loosen. Cool completely in pan. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)

Steps:

• Place the popped popcorn into a large brown paper bag. Set aside.
• In a 2 quart casserole dish, or other heat-proof glass dish, combine the brown sugar, margarine, corn syrup, salt and vanilla. Heat for 3 minutes in the microwave, then take out and stir until well blended. Return to the microwave, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from microwave, and stir in the baking soda.
• Pour syrup over the popcorn in the bag. Roll down the top once or twice to close the bag, and shake to coat the corn. Place bag into the microwave, and cook for 1 minute and 10 seconds. Remove, shake, flip the bag over, and return it to the microwave. Cook for another 1 minute and 10 seconds. Dump the popcorn out onto waxed paper, and let cool until coating is set. Store in an airtight container.